mrcold

When we've thrown fins the last couple years, the average size seems quite a bit larger, but the bite is only on for an hour, and our hookup percentage is horrible. It sure is fun though. I'm gonna have to find some photos somewhere to determine exactly what you are referring to with bluff ends and swing ends. Is it just where the bluffs come down and transition to gravel or chunk rock?

I guess there's no need for my yearly "We'll be there x through x, what do I do" post now. Thanks Bill, and to the OP for saving me some typing! Who am I kidding, I have to at least mention it. We'll be down there from 5/7-5/11. I know what to do to catch fish finally, after being down there every year since 2005 now. Though I still haven't even managed a 4+ lb. fish. Can anyone tell me how to catch a guaranteed 5+ fish? Seriously, though, last year was the most productive year we've had since I've been coming down there. My big fish is waiting, I can feel it.

Removed because I somehow posted under the wrong thread.

Thanks to everyone who gave us some input for the trip...especially you, Don! Sorry I didn't get a chance to call you, but I was standing next to Rich on Tuesday night when you talked to him. It went pretty well, with a good number of fish being caught (42 fish over 15", with the biggest being a 20" smallie). I'd say about 90-95% of the fish we caught were smallies, with the rest being spots...oh, and I managed to fool one largemouth so I could say I caught all three types. The water was pretty muddy where we stayed (over on the west side of DD, southeast of Kimberling). We went around to Indian Point a couple times, since this is our "home" water down there. The water was much more clear, and almost everything caught on that side was a spot, almost no smallies. I've got thousands of dollars in gear in my tackle boxes and dozens of rod/reel combos. If I had gone down with a dozen hooks, a dozen splitshot, two bags of centipedes, and one rod/reel combo, I would've had the same success. NOTHING on topwater (spooks, fins, poppers, etc.), NOTHING on crankbaits, NOTHING on my super-secret Nebraska plastics or special-order California swimbaits... A decade of trying to figure this lake out, and all I had to do was sit in 20 feet of water, drop my line, and walleye fish just like Dad taught me. Thanks again for all of the help, and good luck to all of you down there. I hope the mess cleans up soon! Brian

Capt. Don, Thanks for the quick response! I just brought this up to the other guys right after I posted, and we were already almost to the physical violence stage of the "Well, what are we gonna do?" discussion. Much appreciated! Brian

First of all, I want to say good luck to anyone affected by the mess down there. Hopefully everyone stays safe! That being said, I really haven't seen ANYTHING about this until right now. Unfortunately, I've been buried in work over the last few weeks leading up to our annual trip down there (from Omaha). Currently, we're supposed to drive down on Tuesday the 3rd, then fish on the 4th through 6th. We're staying down on DD (Fish Hook if I'm allowed to say on here), and have people flying in to Kansas City to pick up on the way. I've got a few questions on what to do at this point. Will we even be able to get out on the lake? If so, would it be rational to do so or is it not a good idea? Assuming it is ok to get out on the boat: Is there any point in going out fishing, or will the bite be shut off for a long time now? We're not usually there for anything other than 3 days of 10+ hours of fishing per day, so it's not really like we would come down anyway and take in a show. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you for any help, and good luck all. Brian

Thanks for the info. I'm about 3 weeks out from my yearly trip, and last year was my first year throwing the redfin. I'm glad I won't have to head down there 100% clueless!

I've been reading on here about the topwater. The majority of what I've seen discussed is the fin and the grub. Since it looks like Wednesday will be warm but rainy, and Thursday and Friday appear to cool off 15 degrees or more, how bad will that be? I know cold fronts are pretty rough on fishing for the most part. Does it rule out topwater completely? Cloudy with a bit of chop for topwater is good, but windy and rainy with thunderstorms? Does that change your approach significantly or just stick with what you know? Thanks guys, and thanks for putting up with me yet again this year. If any of you see Mr. Clean in a blue Lund near Indian Point, stop by and say hi. (Bill, I was pushing my boat partner to head down early so we could get a day in with a pro, but no luck...maybe next year) Brian

Will that hold true through the cold front that looks to be coming in Thursday/Friday? Every year without fail...my apologize to everyone who's fishing there this week, I guess the weather's following me.

Ok, I'm thinking 4-5 setups are coming with me, let me know what you think (other than telling me I have way too much time on my hands): 1) Light spinning setup: 8 lb. floro, set up for wacky worming and possibly grubbin'. 2) Medium spinning setup: 8 lb. floro, set up for either split shot or dropshot. 3) Medium spinning setup: 8 lb. floro, set up for rogues/pointers, possibly smaller shallow cranks. 4) Medium-Heavy baitcaster: 15 lb. braid, set up for fins/spooks/cranks. Is it a mistake to fish the topwater on braid? I like that it floats, I like that I don't have to worry about breaking a fish off, and I don't have to worry about fishing timber as long as I bring extra trebles. But at the same time, braid probably stands out like a sore thumb in that water. What do you think?

Good stuff, and I guess I'm probably going to be closer to Bill's neck of the woods, so I'm gonna have to move out even more than I thought... Keep in mind, the channels in my 100-300 acre lakes are more like 15-25 feet deep. Thanks for the input. It makes me laugh to think of all the times we were bouncing baits off the rocks saying "what the hell are those guys doing in the middle of the lake?" Thanks, a lot to all of ya! I'm hoping that line will be the most helpful tip I've ever learned about the lake.

Weird...something subtle about your interests and avatar made me think you may like the topwater, though I'm not sure what type of lure you prefer. I'm used to fishing frogs (which never work for me on TR) within 2 feet of the bank (which never works for me on TR), so I've got no confidence throwing a topwater over 15 or 20 feet of water. I guess what I'm getting at is are you usually bank-banging or walking over somewhat open water in those low-light times? Thanks for the response!

What do you guys find to be the most productive depth when fishing...oh, I don't know...around the May 12th or 15th-ish time of year? I'm sure time of day has a huge effect, but do you ever fish into the 0-5' depth range, even early or late? Or are the fish you catch out in 10'+ regardless? Do you catch a lot of fish out in the 25'-40' range this time of year? Does the fish size seem to vary with depth? I guess the bigger fish are probably a bit more conditioned to stay out deeper, but just looking for advice since I can't quit thinking about the trip. I guess watching the FLW tourney this morning didn't help matters... Anyway, thanks!

First of all, please forgive me if I don't feel TOO bad for you when my eight(twelve) hours of work everyday are spent in a cube and not a boat. But second of all, I do have to say that you(lots of you) are extremely accommodating when it comes to sharing information on this board. I come on here for a few weeks once a year leading up to my trip. I end up asking dozens of annoying questions, yet I get nothing but friendly and helpful responses. I've taken numerous trips to numerous states and always try to find a good forum with good and helpful people. So far, I've only found one for NE and one for MO. Thanks!

As long as you don't talk to any of the other 4 guys besides my partner and I, you bet! The shaved head in the blue Lund is me, feel free to share and we'll do the same. Stay away from the jokers in the resort rental boats. We were over the shop last year, we'll be in the house this year. See ya down there!

Perfect, thanks!! I know people don't like giving up too much detail on forums (or anywhere for that matter) so feel free to say "none of your d##m business" to any of my questions, but I've got one general one for you. When you're throwing the spooks/sammys, are you casting right at the edge of the rocks, or are you over 10 or 15 feet of water? When I've fished smallies up north, if your lure didn't land within a foot of the bank, you weren't getting hit. Up here in Nebraska, most of the fish are in 2-4 feet of water this early in the year...but our mudpits aren't in the same category obviously, and the water clarity is incredible down there. I guess I've seen people say they've had spots come up out of 15 or 20 feet of water to hit a topwater, but is that the norm? What about points vs. coves? Does pea gravel, chunk rock, boulders or cliffs have an impact? (wow, my "one general question" seems to have exploded...sorry) Thanks guys! Brian

Well, I'm about three weeks out from "The Rock" annual fishing tourney. My buddy's family has about a 15 year tradition of going down there and I've been going for the last 6 or 7 years. I always love the trip just because of the atmosphere with the guys and the enjoyable scenery...yet I almost always leave that lake with my tail between my legs after a healthy whoopin'. Anyway, you guys made me look like a pro last year with all of the help I received here. I ended up catching about 15 "keepers" while the other 5 guys totaled around 6 or 8. Oh, for the record, the only ones ever actually kept are a couple of the ones just above keeper size that get ambitious and swallow the hooks. We need those 2 or 4 fillets on the 4th of July when they get grilled up, everyone gets a little bite, and the winners brag. Finally to the point... I'm learning my way around the lake, learning the styles, and have been mixing in some of my own tricks with the robos, docs, etc. My problem is I don't think I've ever caught a bass (any of the 3 types) over about 2.5 lbs. down there. Even when I'm getting numbers, I can't get any size. We have a tendency to start out on points, but then we just get sucked into the coves. We start out about one and a half full casts from the bank, then slowly sneak into the shallower water so we can cast to the bank. The only thing I can use with confidence down there is plastics. A couple of the guys have done ok on cranks, but I can't seem to pick them up at all when I throw the wart. The rogue or X-raps I've thrown, never even sniffed by a fish. The only topwater I've caught fish on was a small popper in really shallow water. I haven't tried any kind of swimbait, though I did pick one up last year that I really like. I know that's limited information, but any idea what could help get one or two kicker fish in the boat? I feel like I've read up here, and have an idea what is going on, but things just don't click. I mean, I feel like I'm a fairly competent fisherman...until I get down there. Is it location and depth or is it bait selection? Or is it just poor presentation and operator error? (obviously that one is rhetorical, since that may be tough to answer) By the way, we'll be there May 11th through 15th. Based on past experience, we should get there about 2 days after the spawn ends so nothing wants to eat... Thanks! Brian (oh, we'll be in the Indian Point area...I don't want to advertise where we stay since I know some of you guys are competitors, but have you ever seen those V-shaped wooden things Australians throw that come back to them?)

Hey all, I just came back from our trip, and I'm already trying to figure out next year's trip. I have a couple of questions, though. First, does anyone know where the spawn stands in the dam area? We saw a lot of what looked like beds, but no fish on them. But we were told at K-city that the smallies were just starting, and the spots and lmb hadn't even started yet. This wasn't what we had heard, but I wanted to see what the pros thought. What would be your ideal time to head down? We're not sight fishermen (I'm the only one of the bunch who's done it, and I suck at it), so my only reason for preferring around or prior to spawn would be the availability of larger fish in shallower waters. Thanks for any help. I'm trying to figure out if coming earlier than the second week of May would be helpful or detrimental...or "depends". Brian

Well, we’re back from “The Rock” annual fishing tournament. We fished Wednesday the 13th through Friday the 15th (though boat trouble cost us the afternoon session on Friday). Three teams of two, with categories being first keeper, biggest fish, and most keepers. Mrcold/Chad vs. Curt/Chris vs. Marty/Brad As always, there were plenty of unexpected surprises: Brad with a nice clam…the hook was actually all the way inside the clam. I got into a mess that I really didn’t want to deal with. This guy just got scooped up for a picture...I was amazed at the number of turtles in this lake. We did find fish, but not the right ones for awhile. Then things started to go better: Brad with a pair of smallies, 3-4 was the bigger of the two. Chris with big fish of the trip, a nice 3-10 smallie. Chad found his keeper. Then, most importantly, I caught fish. Final keeper Tally: Curt – 1 Chris – 1 Marty – 3 Brad – 3 Chad – 2 me – 11 Biggest fish went to Chris. First keeper went to me. Chad/Mrcold, 2009 “The Rock” Champions By the way, all keepers except 1 were caught on doctors/centipedes. Four fish in the 15-16" range were cleaned on day 1, all others were released. Thank you so much to all of you on this great forum!

What species am I after? Well, we have an informal tournament that includes SMB, LMB, and spots...so I'd love to catch those. But first and foremost, I want to catch fish. If the real bass aren't biting and I catch a bunch of 5 lb. cats, great! Walleye, saugeye, whites, more than welcome! But mostly I'm after the "good" bass species. Bill, outstanding info, that's exactly what I wanted to hear! So you theoretically have a higher percentage chance of a bigger bite in the coves since you're targetting LMB a bit more, but your numbers come on main lake points since you're targetting all 3 species more, huh? Very good info. Thanks guys! (on a side note, I learned at about 8:00 last night that my buddy may have screwed up his schedule, so this trip that I've been anticipating for 2 years, since I missed last year's outing, may get cancelled for me...lame)

Do you guys have a tendency to fish mostly main lake points, or more secondary points (or both)? We have always ended up moving up into creek arms and fishing secondary points, even though I feel like main lake points should be better locations and provide better fish. Obviously wind and weather will have an effect on where you can hold the boat, but given the option, what's your preference? I'm trying to have set areas and some sort of plan of attack, since I get overwhelmed when I show up and have miles and miles of shoreline that, quite frankly, all looks great to my untrained eyes. Thanks!

River2Sea V-joint Wake Minnow, Chartreuse Shad. The only wakebait I've ever used is the Mann's Waker, but it didn't appear to have the body shape to imitate the threadfins (I'm assuming that's the intent of this technique), so I thought I'd give them a shot. If nothing else, I need to fill a space in my topwater box. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpageSWIMRIVER-R2SVMW.html

Ordered a couple of these last night: 1. I hope they get here in time. 2. I really hope they work. Seems like a bit better than the prices on the Mikeys and Wake Shad...I've been unable to find the redfins up here around Omaha thus far.

Great report! I just know I'm gonna get the "you shoulda been here last week" report when we get there.

I'm just curious, have you guys tried the actual wakebaits like the Yozuri or the Mann's Waker down there? Or is it the slim profile and waggle that you think gets the attention? What is the baitfish it is intended to imitate? Strike King's sexy swimmer or wake shad seem to imitate shad fairly well, but I don't know if those match the hatch down there or not. Thanks, Brian